“Demon Lord, this way.”
“Mm, thank you for guiding me. You may leave. The Human King will escort me.”
“Yes, I’ll take my leave then.”
Eshlee, I have a strange connection with her.
The first time I went to Isal, I saved her from a magic beast.
Even though we were in a situation where we had to help each other back then, the next time I saw her, she had been promoted to the Saintess who would attack our base.
And now, that very same woman is a prisoner.
Guided by a guard soldier, I was brought to a room.
She was on the other side of a prison cell that had been heavily reinforced both magically and physically.
For our third encounter, what kind of face should I show her?
“President, might I ask about her experiments…?”
“Ah, you can rest assured. While she did participate in the attack, it’s all part of war. We’ve taken her prisoner, but the experiments are only basic. She is a Saintess, after all. I believe she’ll be useful in future negotiations, so we’ve been thorough in that regard.”
And I, who held no grudge against her, couldn’t help but worry if she was involved in any illegal experiments.
However, the President dispelled my worries with a smile.
Relieved that all was well, the President nodded after seeing my expression, and then…
“Well then, I’m going in.”
“Yes.”
I gently knocked four times.
“Yes?”
And hearing a cheerful and energetic response, though I hadn’t doubted it, I felt relieved without the President noticing that no experiments had been performed.
“It’s the Demon Lord.”
“W-What?! The Demon Lord!?”
And President, if you greet her like that, Eshlee will be surprised too.
Normally, only researchers or guards would come to her, and they would arrive on time.
However, while she might wonder what’s happening with an unscheduled visitor, who would imagine that the leader of the hostile organization would suddenly appear?
At least, if I were in her position, I wouldn’t imagine it at all.
Noise and commotion could be heard from inside.
“President, didn’t you send any advance notice?”
Her flustered state was so different from the energetic and dignified reply she had given just moments ago; I could sense her disturbance.
She seemed surprised by the President’s appearance, and this level of agitation…
I asked, as a thought occurred to me.
“Do you think I had time for that?”
The President, with a cheerful smile and a wink, implicitly claimed responsibility.
Ah, so this is why Evia struggles with this kind of President. She’s capable, but because she’s *too* capable, she cuts corners to save time.
Seeing the result of that, I let out a big sigh.
“Couldn’t you have used parallel thought and sent a telepathic call, President?”
I could somewhat predict the answer, but I felt I had to say something, so I tried.
“This place has a rather unique environment. External communication is limited to physical letters. Electronic devices haven’t spread across the continent yet, so establishing them here is still under consideration.”
As expected, communication channels were limited due to confidentiality.
I understood, but from Eshlee’s perspective, who was facing a surprise visit, such a casual approach to visiting was unacceptable.
“But, you had enough time to contact her after this facility was set up…”
“I suppose I did, but you see, I’m the Demon Lord, and the guards here probably thought it would be bad if they made me wait.”
“They prioritized making a prisoner wait over making the top leader wait. This world is harsh.”
“That’s how the world is.”
“Jiro, I sympathize with her.”
“No comment.”
A country’s leader meeting a prisoner.
What led to this? What’s happening? Her mind must be racing.
“…Please, come in.”
After a few minutes, not even five minutes, I apologized inwardly for her having to prepare herself so quickly, a speed that’s arguably the fastest for any woman, and opened the door.
Involuntarily, I had her knock, but I couldn’t let the President open the door himself.
The door, unlocked with a key given by the warden and a magic spell provided by the President, opened automatically.
“Ah.”
Perhaps expecting only the President, she, dressed in a simple white dress, widened her eyes for a moment at the sight of me.
However.
“Thank you for troubling yourself to come to a place like this, present Demon Lord.”
“Ah, it’s not often I’m greeted by a Saintess, so it’s a rather strange feeling.”
That, too, was a fleeting moment.
Both I, Himik, and the President naturally noticed, but we didn’t dwell on it.
My relationship with her had already been reported to the President.
We weren’t more than acquaintances.
However, there was no animosity between us, and we both sensed a shared tendency to overwork.
Empathy, perhaps.
It was precisely because we felt that that we could accept that we had ended up as adversaries and act as if nothing had happened.
“Now, I value my time. I’ll be blunt. If you accept this request, I promise, in my name, to return you to Isal as your reward.”
“!”
However, our President immediately turned that composed expression into one of astonishment.
I understand there’s no time to waste given Himik’s time limit, but that’s a brutal way to start.
She didn’t know the details of the request.
But the reward was guaranteed.
After all, the Demon Lord himself had spoken of the reward.
The reward would certainly be fulfilled.
However, she couldn’t trust it.
After all, the Demon Lord brought the request without stating its contents.
If she readily agreed, blinded by the reward, it could be a request that would nearly kill her.
No, it would undoubtedly be a request that put her life on the line.
After all, she’d be diving into chaos.
“…Can I hear the details of the request?”
“No. Unfortunately, this is a top secret within our army. We want to keep the number of people who know to a minimum.”
And there’s a huge pitfall: if it’s known she’s cooperating, she might be killed by the nobles.
It wasn’t just suspicious; it was piled high like a mountain of extra vegetables on Jirō-style ramen.
“All I can say is that this request carries the risk of death, and I will provide full cooperation as insurance against that risk. Even so, if you fail, there’s still a considerable chance you could lose your life.”
Even if I added a few words of reassurance, it would be meaningless.
“…”
And yet, why is she showing signs of hesitation?
By all common sense, this is a request that’s far too dangerous to accept. It’s not about the details.
It smells of danger, so much so that a much more amateurish scam would seem cute in comparison.
First, the Demon Lord himself has come to meet Eshlee, a Saintess in special confinement.
This itself suggests that her abilities are valued.
Second, the Demon Lord declares it to be dangerous and states that while he won’t guarantee her life, he will provide insurance.
Given the degree of danger, the fact that the President, who holds the position of Demon Lord, generally assumed to be the strongest, declares it dangerous means there’s no need to think further.
And third, Himik.
Angels are supposed to be enemies of the Demon Lord’s Army.
While there are some exceptional circumstances due to me and Kaido, let’s set that aside for now.
The presence of Himik, a Seraph, the highest-ranking angel, here.
In the world of Isal, Seraphim are considered to represent the pinnacle of strength.
In some cases, they can defeat multiple generals of the former Demon Lord’s Army.
The fact that most Seraphim were captured this time is because the current Demon Lord’s generals possess strength that would not be out of place being called Demon Lords, not because the Seraphim themselves are weak.
I am also aware that my magic power aptitude has reached ten, and my physical abilities are in a considerably dangerous state. In certain situations, it wouldn’t be strange for me to be called the Demon Lord.
I’ve digressed.
In essence, Himik, a Seraph even after her fall, does not refute the Demon Lord’s words.
The epitome of strength in the world of Isal does not deny its danger.
Despite all these factors, Eshlee pondered for a few seconds.
“Present Demon Lord, if you can accept my conditions, I will lend my humble power.”
She declared her acceptance without hesitation.
“Let’s hear them.”
There was no room to ask “Why?”, so I remained silent and watched. In the meantime, the conversation progressed, and the President, willing to accept depending on the conditions, awaited Eshlee’s words.
“Yes, I would like to request a modification of the reward you mentioned earlier.”
“Are you perhaps wishing for someone’s life to be saved? Unfortunately, freeing any of the Seraphim is impossible.”
“No, my wish is singular: if the request is successful, I ask that you protect me and my family in my homeland under the Demon Lord’s Army.”
“…Hmm.”
“Furthermore, regardless of the success or failure of this request. Even if I fail and lose my life, I ask that my family be protected. Other than that, I desire nothing. Conversely, if my wish cannot be granted, I cannot accept this request.”
The wish was for a modification of the reward, and the content of the reward was the protection of her family.
“Let’s hear the circumstances.”
But, why is it?
Although the way she says it makes her seem like a devoted Saintess desperately trying to protect her family, there’s a sense of unease.
Where is the unease?
“Honestly, I don’t want to work in that country anymore.”
At that very moment, Eshlee’s emotions vanished from her face.
“I was foolish until now. I dedicated myself, for God and for my faith, and spent my days in arduous training. I truly believed that one day God would recognize my efforts.”
Why does this somehow resonate with me, who used to work at a Black company?
“But, I realized something.”
“What did you realize?”
“I… think I’ve been overworking.”
“Huh?”
And my suspicion wasn’t unfounded.
Eshlee stated this with a deep, heartfelt voice.
“When I wake up, I pray and clean, then prepare breakfast, then attend to the worshippers who come for prayer. Sometimes I’m involved in investigating or supporting the subjugation of monsters. I was working for low wages, and just when I thought I was improving my skills, I was suddenly appointed as a Saintess. At first, I thought my previous efforts were finally paying off, but that wasn’t the case. All I did was menial tasks: entertaining nobles, taking on Saintly duties in place of the idle Saintesses, only for the credit to be taken by the senior Saintesses. I kept telling myself it was a trial from God and continued to strive. And finally, there was the journey to another world to find a Hero…”
Ah, this is…
“And then I was defeated by you. I was imprisoned, and finally, I prepared for execution, vowing not to yield to the Demon Lord’s Army. I truly did!”
This is probably…
“Why, why is it more comfortable here in the detention facility than when I was earnestly working!! The beds are clean, and there are no conniving nobles!! No worshippers trying to hit on me!! The guards are gentlemen!! The researchers, they genuinely listen to my sermons!! There are no noisy children who don’t listen to God’s teachings, nor nobles who forcibly invite me to their beds!! No perverted old men groping me!! No malicious senior Saintesses pushing work onto me, calling it God’s trial!!”
She seems bewildered by being transferred from an excessively Black workplace to a White one.
“Why, why are the Demon Lord’s Army, said to be messengers of hell, kinder than them!!”
And for a Saintess to spill all this, the workplaces in Isal must be truly Black.
Today’s Word:
Power harassment is bad, absolutely.
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Pandora Pandemic Panic. Pandora’s Box has been opened again, but we’re fighting back with secret bases and various other endeavors!!
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